title: T cell responses in acute falciparum malaria.
abstract: T lymphocyte responses to malaria-specific antigens during acute falciparum malaria were studied to determine host-parasite interaction and its relation to the manifestations of the disease. The results indicate that while there is antigen-specific immunodepression, markedly elevated levels of soluble factors such as IL2 receptor, CD8 antigen and IFN-gamma suggest that there is intense concurrent cellular activation which however does not seem to be effective in controlling the infection. It is proposed that the cellular activation is to a large extent non-specific and polyclonal, and leads to the exaggerated production of cytokines and eventually immunopathology. Various mechanisms of immunodepression are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Webster
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology